Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice to make history at Euro 2020 on Tuesday, making him the leading scorer in the history of the championship with 11 goals in the men's record fifth tournament.
The Portugal captain overtook French great Michel Platini with his first goal in a 3-0 win over Hungary after converting a penalty kick in the 87th minute. He swung the ball into the corner of the net and set off for one of his trademark celebrations, which blew the whistle at Budapest's Puskas Stadium with a capacity of 67,000 mostly Hungarian fans.
Ronaldo then scored his second on tap-in, as did full-time contact, surpassing the record held by Germany's Birgit Prinz and Inka Grings, who scored 10 in the Women's European Championship. The women's tournament is scheduled every two years, compared to four years for the men's counterpart.
The Juventus striker scored 106 goals in 176 appearances for Portugal, three short of Iranian Ali Dei's men's record of 109 international goals. This record is in the name of Christine Sinclair of Canada, who has 186 goals.
Ronaldo is the only man to score in five European Championship tournaments, expanding his own record.
"It was a very tough game but we got three goals. It was important to win and start the tournament with confidence and now we want to keep winning," Ronaldo said.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos said: "It would have been easier for us if we had scored first. We missed some chances, then there were some worrying moments but again found our composure and finished the game well."
Tuesday was cause for double celebration for Portugal's talisman, who also set a men's record for five-euro performances. He first appeared at a European Championship in 2004 when he helped Portugal reach the final on home soil. He has played in every tournament since then and scored in each.
Spain's Iker Casillas was part of five La Rosa squads from 2000 to 2016, but did not play in two tournaments, making Ronaldo the first man to play in five European Championships.
Italy's Carolina Moraes, who manages Lazio's women's team, holds the attendance record at the European Championships with six.
"It's my fifth European Championship, but to me it feels like it's my first," Ronaldo said before Tuesday's game.
17 men have competed in four European Championships, including Germany's Lothar Matthaus and Denmark's Peter Schmeichel.
Ronaldo also extended his record for most appearances at Euros, moving up to 22.
Ronaldo, who led Portugal to success at Euro 2016, won 11 matches in the tournament, surpassing Spanish pair Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas.
Following his appearance against Hungary, Ronaldo is three games away from breaking the record of 58 appearances in European competition (qualifying stage and final), organized by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
"The players who last the longest in football are the ones who can adapt," Ronaldo said of the secret behind his long and successful career. "The numbers speak for themselves: I've adapted from 18 to 36. I always work to get things done on an individual and collective level."
Ronaldo completed his third season at Juve, scoring 36 goals in 44 matches despite missing several games due to COVID-19. The former Real Madrid star was unable to help Juve advance past the Champions League round of 16 and the Turin giants also failed to win the Serie A title, 13 points behind Scudetto winners Inter Milan in fourth place.
Ronaldo has one year left on his contract with Juventus, but he has not committed to the team and his future is expected to be decided after the tournament ends. Portugal will also take on France and Germany in Group F.